Wrongful Death

Wrongful Death

Holding People Accountable for a Wrongful Death

A wrongful death claim is the last thing a family member should have to worry about when mourning the loss of a loved one. Families may find themselves dealing with an enormous amount of sadness, anger, shock, and even depression because they have just lost someone that they love. But in addition to the emotional struggle, most people’s lives cannot just be placed on hold, and there can be many personal matters that families need to attend to. It is important that the family is justly compensated for the tragic loss of their loved one and the wrongdoer is held responsible. Wrongful death cases can arise from many difference scenarios. Auto accidents are usually the most common. We at Hepburn, Hernandez and Jung Trial Attorneys will make sure that you do not have to take on any additional stress due to the legal process. There are many burdens that can weigh on the surviving family and we will help you go through the grieving process without worrying about any legal matters. We are the law firm with the resources, expertise, and superior training that will allow you to receive the best financial outcome because your loved one’s life has been wrongfully taken away.

What Are You Suing For?

The attorneys at Hepburn, Hernandez and Jung Trial Attorneys will help you determine what types of financial damages can be pursued and recovered in a wrongful death action. The following are a few examples of what you and your family could recover in a wrongful death case:

Funeral Expenses – When someone passes away, their family members are left with the responsibility of covering the funeral expenses. Most people do not know that funeral expenses can cost thousands of dollars and families may not be prepared to handle such costs.

Property Damage – When a person is killed, the incident can include property damage. The property damage losses can also be recovered for the decedent’s family.

Medical Expenses – Whenever a person is wrongfully killed, there is a high likelihood that the person was initially admitted to the hospital before their life ended. Sometimes the injured party could be at the hospital for several days before ultimately passing away and the hospital expenses can build up.

Loss of Income – If a family member is taken away due to an unforeseeable tragic event, other family members could be in a state of financial emergency. Family members often rely on the income of another family member to survive. If the income-generating family member’s life is unjustifiably taken away by another person’s actions, the family may have the right to recover the financial damages for any potential loss of income that the deceased person may have earned had he or she lived a full and complete life. For example, if a stay-at-home mother and her two children relied solely on their husband/father to provide financial income for their family, the surviving family should be able to recover any future income that he would have produced had he still been alive.

5. Loss of Companionship – In addition to the potential financial loss that a family can experience due to a wrongful death, a family member is entitled to recover loss of companionship. Loss of companionship is something that most people value the most and this comes in the form of love, companionship, comfort, affection, moral support, assistance, protection, society, training, and guidance. A family member’s companionship is worth more than any monetary value that can be assigned to it and this is why this type of loss is generally the one that harms us the most.

Punitive Damages – A surviving family member may pursue punitive damages against a wrongdoer in certain situations where the killing occurs in an egregious way. This is a situation where the wrongdoer acted in a way that inflames our passions as a society because he or she acted so negligently. The act must be so out of line that the wrongdoer should be punished, hence the word punitive. When the wrongdoer acts in this egregious manner, a plaintiff can pursue and recover punitive damages that are not directly tied to any other form of loss.

Why You Need a Trial Attorney

An experienced trial attorney will help you navigate and push forward against the opposition. The insurance company and defense attorney’s sole interest is having you and your family acceptthe least amount of money for a settlement. Their business model is set up so that the monetary value of your deceased family member’s life is much lower because their main goal is to save money. The only way that the insurance company will provide a just monetary amount for the loss of someone’s life is if they believe the plaintiff’s attorney can receive a larger amount if the case went in front of a jury. If they do not believe the attorney has the skill, experience, and the resources to win at trial, they will not provide a settlement offer that your family truly deserves. Hepburn, Hernandez and Jung Trial Attorneys have the jury trial experience that that will bring you justice for the loss of your loved one.

If you have suffered the loss of a loved one, contact Hepburn, Hernandez and Jung today and let us help you obtain the justice you deserve for your tragic loss.